Strainer unit for toilets



March 14, 1961 c. LUNDELIUS 2,974,324

STRAINER UNIT FOR TOILETS Filed April 16, 1959 INVENTOR. (Aidesflzmaez'izzs BY wwww 2,974,524 STRAINER? UNIT FOR ToiLE'Ts- Charles tunelin 7609 Twip paksAve y Citrus Heights, Califn Filed Apr. 16,1959,Set: No'; 806313 461m 21.- 4-257 invention relates to, and itis amajonobject to 2,974,324 I Patented ICE eludes, at itslower end,atrarisverse-foot of very heavy material, such. aslead; the lower edgeofsuch. footgbeing V curved to seat in substantially mtaching relationon the bottom 6 of the bowl 2 immediately in frontof theiwaste outletopening 9.

- In additionto the tr ansversefoot 13 the ffame12 includes anupstanding;- irivertedigenerally horse shoe shaped wire or rod 14 whichis continuous andwhose lowerend's' areembedded inithe eorrspondin g endporprovide, a novel strainer. unit adapted=for-- use in smilet bowl forthe purpose of permitting diapers or 'thelike to be rinsed-=in saidbowl-free offeealxmattenorother waste without possibility of thediapersentering the waste outlet passageof the toilet and plugging it or thedisposal line to which the toilet delivers.

Another important object of the invention .--isto provide a strainerunit, as above, which is arranged so that after initial rinsing of thediapers in the bowl, the toilet can be flushed to carry away the wastematerial.- while at thesame time preventing, the diapers-which their remainin said -bowl-fr'om being flushed away.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a strainer unit, forthe purposedes'cribed,.twhieli is normally detached from the toilet, butwhich. unit can be readily and conveniently removably'enga ed in thetoilet bowl in covering relation. to the waste joutlet opening; therebeing novel means included in the strainer-unit to maintain the same inplace in said bowl;

It is also an object of the invention to provide=-a strainer unit fortoilets which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a practical,reliable, and durable strainer unit for toilets, and one which will beexceedingly eifective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical front to rear sectional elevation of a toiletshowing the strainer unit in side elevation and in place in the toiletbowl.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the strainer unit as in place;the view including a fragmentary showing of the bowl, partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the strainer unit detached, and taken online 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and to the charactersof reference marked thereon, the strainer unit, indicated at 1, isadapted for use in a conventional toilet which includes a bowl 2 and awater tank 3 having a valve 4 which controls water flow from tank 3 tothe water inlet passage 5 of said bowl.

The bowl 2, as usual, embodies a bottom 6, sides 7, a back Wall 8, and acircular waste outlet opening 9 in back wall 8 immediately adjacent thebottom 6. The lower portions of sides 7 have reduced transverse spacingto form, in eifect, a trough directly ahead of said waste outlet opening9. The waste outlet opening 9 communicates with a waste outlet passage10 of gooseneck or trap form, which passage 10 connects, through the.base of the toilet, with the disposal line 11.

The strainer unit 1, which embodies the present invention, is arelatively small, portable device comprised of a frame, indicatedgenerally at 12 which frame in tioneof the transversefodt'il-StWithin-the confines-:tliereof,.the frame 1 2 is fitted with a screen l5having a: relatively large: mesh; such screen, at its lower end, beingembedded-int the t'ransversefoot 1 3, and the'reab'ovesuch: screen is.secured at its edge-in any suita-bl'e manner -toltherod 14;.

The assembly of frame 12 and screen 15 is vertically concavo-convexowith the concave side rearmost.

A-spring' finger 16 projects reatwardly from. substantially centrally ofthe screen 15; said spring finger 16 including, at its inner end, adown-turned attachment ear 17 which is fixed to the screen: 15. At itsouter end the spring finger 16 has: a down-turned lip 18.

A relatively long, ball-link chain-19 isconnected at one end. to theoutside of the screen1'5 immediately opposite the attachment-ear 17;suclt ch'ain191 being of a length. to extendfrom within the bowl 2, .atapoint adj'acentthe waste. opening 9; to a point exterior ly' of the bowlafter passingIover the rim 20$ 1 ,When it: is desired to use the above,described strainer unit 1,.the bowl I is firstuflushedi and. filled withclean water; and thereafter said unit" is.-.-placed-in the bowl 2in:the-po"sition= illustrated inFig. l;-'i.e'.,,upstandinglfrom the bowlbottonr6 in front of, andfextendin'g above, the waste outlet opening 9,and at a slight upward and rearward i incline; .Withthe strainer unit: 11 so disposed in the bowl 2, the transverse foot 13 rests insubstantially the edge of the back wall 8 at the top of said opening, asat 21. The down-turned lip 18 of spring finger '16 serves to cam saidfinger into its holding position, as above described. I

In addition to the action of said spring finger 16 in holding thestrainer unit 1 in place in the bowl for use, the foot 13of lead-alsohas a stabilizing effect because of its weight. 7

When the strainer unit 1 is in place in the bowl 2, the chain 19 extendsout of said bowl, over the rim 20, and depends from the latter.

. With the strainer unit I mounted in its position of use, such uniteffectively covers the waste outlet opening 9. Diapers can then beinitially rinsed in the water 22 in bowl 2, and thereafter such water,and the waste material carried therein, can be flushed from the toiletthrough the opening 9 and passage 10 without the possiv bility of thediapers entering and plugging said opening or passage, yet withoutrestricting the flushing-away of the waste material'with the water, andwhich materialpasses freely through the large mesh of screen 15.

After several additional flushings of the 'toilet- -and which furtherrinses the diapers in thebowl 2such diapers are manuallly removed fromthe bowl.

Thereafter, by the simple expedient of pulling onjthe chain 19, thestrainer unit 9 can be detached and removed from the bowl, so that thetoilet then remains unobstructed for normal use.

While the strainer unit 1 is here shown and described as used in atoilet having the waste outlet opening 9 in the rear'ofthe bowl, suchunit is equally adaptable to a toilet of the type wherein said openingis in the front of the bowl. v

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as will substantially fulfill the objects ofthe invention, as set forth herein. I

While the specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstructionofthe device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, asdefined by the appended claims. 1 r Having thusdescribed the invention, the followingis claimed as new and useful, andupon which Letters Patent are-desired:

I claim: 1. A. strainer unit for a toilet, such toilet including a bowlhaving a bottom and an upstanding wall thereabout, and the bowl having awaste outlet opening the upper edge of which is in said wall above thebottom; the strainer unit comprising an endless rigid frame shaped tofit in the bowl in a plane transversely parallel tothe outlet openingand to then engage'said bowl bottom and the upstanding .wall inclearance relation to and about the opening, a large-meshscreen securedto and surrounded by the frame, and means on the unit adapted to engagethe bowl in releasable holding relation to retain the frame in place;said means comprising a spring finger secured to. and .projecting fromthe unitintermediate the upper andlower edges thereof and adapted toextend throughthe outlet opening. and frictionally engage the bowl wallwithin and'at the upper edge of said opening. V

2. A unit, as in claim 1, with a flexible pull (element connected at oneend to the front of the screen adjacent the point of connection of thefinger therewith; said element being of a length such as to enable it toextend, when slack, from said one end thereof to and over the rim of thebowl at one side thereof and to then hang down a material distance fromsaid rim.

3. A strainer unit for a toilet, such toilet including a bowl having abottom and an upstanding wall thereabout, and the bowl having a wasteoutlet opening the upper edgeof which is in said wall above the bottom;the strainer unit comprising an endless rigid frame shaped to fit in thebowl in a plane transversely parallel to the outlet opening and to thenengage said bowl bottom and T the upstanding wall in clearance relationto and about the opening, a large-meshscreen secured to and surroundedby the frame, and means on the unit adapted to engage the bowl inreleasable holding relation to retain the frame in place; the frameincluding a trans versely extending weighted foot along its lower edgeshaped to follow the contour of and engage the bottom of the bowl.

4. In combination, a toilet bowl having a bottom and an upstanding wallthereabout, the bowl having a waste outlet opening the upper edge ofwhich is in said wall above the bottom, a strainer unit comprising anendless rigid frame of larger area than said opening supported on thebottom of the bowl and upstanding about the opening and engaging saidupstanding wall above the opening, and a large-mesh screen secured toand surrounded by the frame; and an element on said unit releasablyengaging the bowl and retaining the unit in place.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS634,953 Mueller Oct. 17; 1899 755,967 Thiele Mar. 29, 1904 2,211,970Fischer Aug. 20, 1940 2,718,013 Rajnicek Sept. 20, 1955

